We are happy to welcome Pasek in his role as our new restaurant manager.

Energetic, passionate and service-oriented, bridges’ new Restaurant Manager Pasek Suarmita believes that ensuring positive energy and a happy atmosphere at the restaurant is one of his primary tasks. What else is important to him, how he plans to reach his goals and more about him here in our little chat:

How do you feel about being bridges’ new Restaurant Manager?

I feel very lucky and so happy about it. I had visited bridges several times before joining the team. As a member of the Indonesian Sommelier Association, I was invited to the many wine tastings taking place here. During these visits, the feel of bridges fascinated me; a perfect combination of pure classic, Balinese ambiance with casual fine dining food and an amazing wine collection. I told myself that I would work here someday. When the opportunity came it was like a dream coming true.

Why did you choose Food and Beverage industry and what did you do before joining?

In my childhood, I had only one simple dream, to meet new people. This brought me to the hospitality Industry and for past 12 years I worked in many places, including 6 years on a cruise ship, met lots of people and learned many things. My last position was Assistant Restaurant Manager at The Samaya Ubud.

What is your biggest challenge as the new manager?

I have a very good feeling since the first day. The team is welcoming and willing to work with a new member. Feels like home, to be honest. Of course, the challenge is to maintain the already excellent standard at bridges, keeping our guests happy and ensuring that the restaurant remains the culinary icon it is today. With the great team here, though, I am confident that I will be able to reach that goal.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I still enjoy my childhood dream, meeting new people. I like to spread positive energy among the team and the guests. Everybody has their own problems, but I want to make sure that each person entering bridges has a positive feeling. I will encourage the staff to be happy, attentive, and focus on what the guests are expecting from them. Whenever I finish my ‘behind the table’ tasks, I will go to the dining room and the bar, talk to the guests, find out how their experience with us has been. Every time, I learn so much from these conversations.

What is your favorite dish and wine?

I love the Pan-seared barramundi and Merlot.

What is your motto?

It is simple: Do your best.

What are your other interests?

Music, I am a big fan of Bali’s rock group Superman is Dead.

Pasek is looking forward to meeting you at your next visit and to ensure you have an unforgettable dining experience.

Meet Ni Wayan Eka Yuliani, our Senior Front of House supervisor. For Eka, as she likes to be called, keeping guests happy is more than merely following a set of rules; the Standard Operational Procedure would not mean much without the heart. She firmly believes that by putting our heart in everything we do will make our guests feel that they will be well taken care of. Of course, it is important for her and her team to be knowledgeable and confident about what we offer, to be attentive about the smallest detail and to be an active listener. She promotes this principle by leading with example and providing heartfelt service. No wonder our guests love her and are amazed at how she remembers their names even after a very long time.

Eka joined bridges in 2011 as a waitress. Inspired by her her father who she describes as her idol and who taught her the value of hard work and having the right attitude, she sees working at bridges as a chance to learn and expand her knowledge in hospitality industry. Her dedication did not go unnoticed, after being voted Employee of the Month she was promoted to Junior Front of House Supervisor in 2013 and to her current position early 2017.

In her free time the mother of (soon) two loves to spend time in nature, exploring the less beaten tracks. Asked about her favourite dishes at bridges, she picked Soy-braised wagyu and Chocolate-espresso lava cake.

Rahul is passionate about wine and loves to share his vast knowledge about it – from the history over the wine making process to the end product. Born in India, his passion has taken him around the world, to USA where he received his sommelier license, to Switzerland for his Masters degree in hospitality, then to Italy to learn about this favourite wines and on to the Seychelles where he worked as sommelier before joining bridges. He is now living his dream in Bali!

He enjoys talking to the guests, proposing wine pairings for their meals, surprising them with drops they might not even have heard of. He is enthusiastic about bridges’ DIVINE Fridays and wine tasting Masterclass concept which challenges him to put together an interesting selection of five wines every week for wine lovers and those wishing to learn more.

Rahul is in charge of bridges wine lists, for the restaurant and for the wine bar as well as overseeing the offering of over 350 labels in our wine loft. On our food menu, you will find his wine pairing suggestions for each dish. In addition to the weekly wine events, his expertise is invaluable for all our special events like the Ubud Food Festival that bridges is a regular partner of.

Next time at bridges, make sure to have a chat with Rahul, he is looking forward to meeting you.

Our guests love the wide range of cocktails on the menu. And no wonder, we have a very skilled and creative bar team under the command of Bar Supervisor I Nengah Putra. He and the team just love to make guests happy and fulfill all possible wishes. The father of one son answered some of our questions about his passion.

How did you discover your passion for cocktail creation and where did you learn it?
After graduating from Tourism School in Karangasem – where I come from – I started my career as a waiter in a villa in Ubud. Being involved in the food and beverage service woke my interest in cocktails and I found mixing cocktails so much fun. I started experimenting with many spirits and combined them with local fruits to find the best taste. The opportunity came when bridges did their re-branding in 2009 and looked for a bar leader.

You joined bridges at the re-opening, what was your mission?
My mission was to make bridges not only known as the place with the best wines – we have a very extensive wine list and a great wine loft – but also the place to enjoy cocktails. Beside the classics that we have on the list, me and the bar team continuously develop unique cocktails, be it for a special event, a season or just to keep our list always interesting, offering discoveries that can be found only at bridges. We experiment with many flavours from ingredients that we have on this beautiful island of Bali to create special character. Guests will find this for example in Rosela Aviation and Divine Mojito.

What is the biggest challenge?
The main challenge is to always serve the best cocktails without compromising on ingredients. In the spirit industry, the prices of spirits are continuously on the move upwards. Instead of using ‘fake’ spirits that are on offer plentiful, I try many different brands to find alternatives that meet our quality standard and have the ideal taste.

What do you love most about bridges?
Like I said before, I have been here since the beginning and have experienced its growth to this amazing place to be proud of. The feeling is a little similar to seeing our children grow. I love to work with the team, they are cooperative and support me as their leader which I am very grateful for.

For this year’s Month of Romance, you are introducing two new Romantic cocktails, Love Potion and Bridges Romance. Could you tell us the inspiration for them?
Love makes our lives colorful. Sometimes it is sweet, another time bitter or sour, but at the end of the day, we believe that all of that makes it even sweeter. That is my inspiration. You will taste the sweet, sour, and a little bit of bitter in the cocktails, but the sweet will be the after-taste, especially on the Love Potion.

You are also involved in wine service at bridges. What is your favorite wine?
Yes, I have gained a lot of knowledge about wines since I work here. I am so grateful to be able to work with the sommelier and learn so much about the world of wine through discussions and tastings. My favorites are full-bodied wines like Syrah and Malbec.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love football and Real Madrid is my favorite team. I watch the games and I love to play with my friends.

Based on frequent requests from the guests, Chef Wayan has put together a delightful selection of bridges’ dinner dishes as a Tasting Menu.

Carefully designed to allow diners to taste bridges’ cuisine at its best, the six course menu features an irresistible combination of all-time favorites and new creations, paired with (optional) wines selected by the sommelier to enhance the experience.

The newly introduced Tasting Menu once again confirms bridges as the best casual fine dining restaurant in Ubud.

The tasting experience is available as vegetarian version as well. The portions are sized to allow maximum pleasure and keep the taste buds happy all the way to the end of the menu.